Happiness Highlights: Falling in Love with Pittsburgh

One of these things seems like it doesn’t belong, but they are all cities I have eagerly anticipated visiting during our year of travel.

Yes, Pittsburgh.

Becky, one of our favorite people, lives in Pittsburgh and she has raved about her hometown for years. We were all looking forward to seeing her city through her eyes and especially excited to have a month to spend with her. (And I do mean we – Jared and the kids lover her as much as I do, if not more. Jared and Becky are like cosmic soul mates, which probably explains why they are both so important to me.)

Still, I was surprised how quickly we fell in love with Pittsburgh.

The city is beautiful. It was the first observation I made upon seeing the tree-covered hills and yellow bridges that connect the city across three rivers. You don’t expect a place built by coal, steel and iron industries to be beautiful, and yet it is. Undeniably.

We spent the week getting caught up on work, but we also made time for museums and sightseeing tours. We took the kids to their first college game and sat in on yet another family’s Sunday dinner.

There’s something unique about this town and its people that I haven’t quite been able to put my finger on. Jared and I keep struggling to describe it accurately to each other, this undefinable quality that makes this city so easy to love.

The history is fascinating and I can see why the people who live here are proud of their geographical heritage. But it’s more than a long list of accomplishments and notable citizens. It’s a rare blend of ingenuity and hard work seasoned with the salt of the Earth. It’s passion and heart without glamour. It’s a place driven as much by sports as by medicine and technology, as much by industry as culture.

It’s an anomaly and we love it, so much so that the four of us have agreed we could easily imagine calling this place home.